UTA31

[Aston]

past reports: (2018) End of the Wynn Era?, (2020) Draft Results, (2020) Bees Report, (2021) Utah Herald, (2022) Bumbling Bees, (2023) Ulmanac, (2024), (2025) like a dynasty, (2026) Bees Knees, (2027) and the Year of the Pelican, '28 Bees, UTA29, UTA30-for-30

UTA31

<img src='http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/8619/j2zy.png' style='height:543px;with:719px' />

9-time Super Bowl Quarterback with 6 rings seeks pay cut?

Hell. I'll take it. Way to be a team player, Randy!

[Nemesis]

Guilt for the stupid reason given for his long injury.

[Aston]

31 Draft

The Bees stayed pat in this draft, leaving themselves without an extra future 1 or 2 for the first time since probably the 2018 season.

We did make two moves: trading in at 3.12 by parting with DT Bubba Humphrey, and dealing out of the 3.30 later with Gainesville for a 4th this year and next. Otherwise, it was a 'take what comes draft', and despite the lack of the usual machinations, I really, really like what we've come out with.

1.13 WR Bruce Perkins, Middle Tenn St.
A weapon to pair with Bob Hansen in the future (or maybe present?)...Utah has always coveted Tyrus Dennis, and after failing to land the 13-year vet in free agency this season, Perkins was a slam dunk. This is a high investment in a receiver. Randy Boone's in his 14th year. We're trying to get him the weapons he deserves. He's played a few years with barely any.

1.30 LB Will Tyler, Michigan
After the mass LB exodus of the 2031 offseason, it was time for the Bees to select their first Round 1 LB since Norbert Slaten. When was that, 2019?? Slaten fell to us after trading down to 1.29, and Tyler looks to give a shot in the arm to the second level of the Utah defense. We hope he'll play both inside and outside for us.

2.32 C Clifton Thomas, South Carolina
We've attempted for years to find that mid-round center steal to groom behind 2019's 2.24, Stephen Wells. We've struck out, year after year after year (Dakota, Domencini...) Finally, enough's enough. With Wells in year 13, the Bees throw a 2nd rounder &mdash; a serious commitment &mdash; at the future of the position. Funny, the year we finally do, it turns out we could have waited much longer. And Thomas comes out looking pretty lowly.

3.12 DE Harvey Gardner, Florida
Looking for insurance/a potential replacement to Brady Stegman or Jim Spencer here. Possible move inside to DT, at least that was the thinking at the time. It looks unlikely now.

4.30 S J.C. Lichtenberger, Georgia
M. Jarvis (SMD) was our top choice, but when that fell off the table shortly before the pick, we went with #2. Backup safety Lance Morris is aging, so it was worth a shot to find his replacement. Admittedly, it doesn't seem likely that Lichtenberger can push out Morris this year.

4.32 FB Phil Zimmerman, Illinois
This is a potential Mario Evanswhite replacement. Then again, the Bees already carry two fullbacks...This is a player we graded as a round 2 and would have been ready to pull the trigger there.

5.27 C Korey Woodson, Minnesota
See what I mean about 'could have waited' on the center?...

5.32 TE Lamont Blades, Stony Brook
We like having two guys with the same name in a position group, just so we can mix them up on the roster. Lamont may be a hell of a blocker, but is not in Edwin's class as a receiver.

6.32 T Leslie Ford, Pittsburgh
A potential diamond in the rough, but as the draft went on, we grew unsure. Perhaps others were, too, which is why he fell to us in round 6 after grading out as a round 3-4. Time will tell, and I'm glad I didn't have to invest high on him.

7.27 QB Jackie Boone, Wyoming
Continuing in our tradition of double-stocking based on last name. Jackie Boone is, unbelievably, the 21st QB selected in this draft. But he was 3rd on our board from the very beginning!

7.32 RB/TE Eric Sanders, Georgia Tech
6'2, 240lbs. Good athleticism, decent hands, limited hole recognition. We're moving him to the 'move' TE position. Let's see what he's got!

[Guest]

Was interested in Leslie Ford, but there was enough doubt in my mind that I kept letting him drop.

[Aston]

Season Preview
UtahBees

This was not a good camp for the Utah Bees, with 14-year QB Randy Boone feeling his age, but also with notable declines to young players regarded as rocks on the team core: WR Bob Hansen, LT Artie Samuels, and LG Ryan Thingvold. Corners Quinn Robinette, Mitchell Prescott, and Stephen Easton also hit brick walls pretty hard, and this is after three bulwarks of the linebacking corps for most of the past decade retired simultaneously: LBs Dan Harper, Matthew O'Donnell, and Troy Conant.

The offseason hasn't been too kind to the incumbency, with recently signed NT Bubba Humphrey and RB Michael Glenn also departing via trade - as well as Brady Stegman, whose 2nd round investment yielded just three years for Utah (and only two starting).

The New Guys

So, let's look at how the Bees plan to forge ahead anyway.

J.R. Talley, RB - rookie's solid showing in camp was earning him a spot on the roster anyway, and made the thought of losing Glenn a little more bearable. Trent Adams is a special teamer only, but in Talley we have a RB2 behind Josh Clovis.

Bruce Perkins, WR - like Bob Hansen two years ago, Perkins was selected by Utah in the first round as the 3rd wide receiver in the draft. Also like Hansen, Perkins is expected to be a day one starter for the Bees, and the early returns? "He's another Tex Dennis", quoth a source from within the front office, referring to the longtime Columbus great whom the Bees tried hard - and failed - to lure this offseason via free agency. Randy Boone's had some dark days with his receiving corps in Utah. It drove him to smoking, and beyond. Now, he has more toys at his disposal than ever in his entire career at Utah.

Gus Saylor, DE - Brady Stegman's issues with locker room leader Bryant Clancy facilitated his departure, but they weren't that big a deal -- we had an alternative to Clancy anyway that could have let both Percy Perry and Stegman stay. However, we went with the youth movement instead. Saylor is a rookie UDFA this year whose pass rush potential has us thinking he'll comfortably replace Stegman going forward. To boot, they're somewhat similar players.

J.R. Tanner, DT - a 2nd-year player picked up in free agency from Portland. Tanner let us trade Bubba Humphrey (on a pick we promptly wasted), and also let us release Percy Perry. Time will tell if he's able to hold down the NT2 position on his lonesome, but you just don't trust a man whose last name is near the same as his first.

Floyd Follette, LB - another free agency acquisition, addressing our sore needs at LB. He's a capable player both in stopping the run and in coverage, softening the sting a little bit of losing so much at once.

The Old Guys

Naturally, it's never about finding new players, but also about who's rising through the ranks. A look at some Bees ready to make an impact, perhaps?...

Marco Stewart, TE - wins the TE2 job this preseason and slides into the role vacated by Mario Bradford's recent retirement.

Jim Spencer, DE - a veteran minimum FA acquisition last year takes on a more prominent role with the departure of Stegman as 'the only DL backup worth a damn.' Hopefully he steps it up, because he's been ho-hum so far.

Josh Clovis, RB - a 6th round surprise who supplanted Ryan Green and has turned in two rock solid seasons as Michael Glenn's backup. This year, he's the man. Big, big test for him. For all his lack of breakaway speed, he's got runs of 80 and 81 yards in each of the last two seasons.

Tyrone Nelson, LB - Nelson's been utterly buried on the depth chart since the Bees invested a 2.12 in him, but with the (so far) disappointment of Utah's next high round LB in rookie Will Tyler (1.30), Nelson features as the opening-day starter at SLB. He's developing into a capable cover man, and might find some time at WILB this season as well.

Antonio Mitting, T - selected the same year as Nelson, Mitting's also found playing time hard to come by, but only because of what he's had ahead of him. At this point in his career, Mitting is fast becoming a viable option at tackle, and will be the top backup on both sides as we ride Geoff Keisel's career out at guard. Mitting is just as good as the other two starting tackles for Utah, Artie Samuels and Max Reese. It's a good luxury to have.

Bobby Plantilla, CB - not exactly a new name here, as Plantilla's played a huge role in this defense since his rookie year and has 16 INTs to his name. This year, though, he won't be in the slot anymore. Though Robinette & Prescott are still the two base defense corners, Plantilla will take over one of the outside spots in sub packages and handle the opposing team's top receiver. As Utah's top cover corner and defensive playmaker, it only makes sense.

Ike Arias, WLB - Arias has averaged over 10 sacks a year for the past four seasons, but this is the first one in which he'll be starting. His cover skills had lent him to serving as SLB in the past - most notably last year, when his numbers dipped - but he's now the fulltime WLB with nobody, really, to back him up.

Butch McKinnon, SS - a 5.32 in the 2026 draft, McKinnon has spent five long seasons mothballed behind Brent Driscoll. At this point, though, the gap has narrowed dramatically, and we're going to start seeing a lot of Mr. McKinnon. He'll even draw the opening day start against the powerful Denver Grizzlies ground attack.

Outlook
The big question is going to be how the Glenn-less Bees cope in the run game. Will it be enough to allow the newly explosive pass attack to take shape? And more importantly, does this defense and in particular the secondary still have what it akes?

[Guest]

great write up..

[Sharkn20]

I love your write ups man....

I looked Mitting in the Year of Timothy Loving he is great! Also love Ike Arias, I coveted him also but you refuse to trade to the Sharks!

[Aston]

The Next Utah WLB, His Ariasness Mr. Ike Arias, in his first non-injury start at the position following Matthew O'Donnell:

1.5 sacks, 1 block, 4 hurries, in just 23 pass plays. 28.3 PR%.

Look for that figure to come down But what a sweet game 1.

Also unusual: the Bees rolled out a short passing game (17 of the 25 attempts) and Randy Boone powered his way to 11.12 yards per attempt and a 151.3 rating. 110 of his 278 yards came on three long completions, though.

[sirem]

Is arias nickname Jodi? Lol he should be killing rbs...

[Guest]

Is arias nickname Jodi? Lol he should be killing rbs...

[Aston]

Early returns on the Utah running game: we kinda miss Glenn, I think, but not too badly. Clovis isn't as good as he's been in his newly elevated role, though he hasn't fumbled yet...and his backup, Talley, is really doing quite well in relief.

Talley might be the better back here. Big UDFA break for us.

[Aston]

The Utah LB corps has been a problematic, mish-mash unit this year, owing mainly to not having any idea who to play, and where.

Ike Arias is considered a stand-up defensive lineman, and that takes him out of the discussion. Without Mathew O'Donnell, Arias is also unavailable to play SLB this year in sub packages.

We juggled around Terrell McDonald (veteran of the system), Tyrone Nelson (4th-year high round investment), and Floyd Follette (very capable FA acquisition) before settling on Will Tyler as the primary #2 LB. That makes Nelson, at this point, a huge disappointment, considering he was practically a 1st round pick. Tyler's disappointing in his own way, but gives us the only chance we have at blitzing off the edge from the SLB spot, and is someone we can hopefully get some good reps to and develop before the playoffs.

Follette has found a pretty comfortable spot as DIME LB, though, and looks like the best coverage man out of the group.

[Aston]

2031 post-mortem

Despite an aging back seven of the defense, this year's squad managed to tie a Utah team and league record for fewest points allowed.

In center Stephen Wells' final year, the best depth Utah has ever seen on its line (with 7 legitimate starters in Wells (C), Samuels (G/T), Giles (G), Thingvold (G), Keisel (G/T), Reese (G/T), and Mitting (T) ) powered the Randy Boone-led offense to his highest QBR to date (122).

WLB Ike Arias took defensive POY honors in his first full year of starting, all from the rush LB spot. On offense, the team was led by rookies in both rushing (J.R. Talley) and receiving (Bruce Perkins), while Boone secured his 3rd league MVP in four years -- the exception being last year when he was out for most of the season being sad.

The departure of RB Michael Glenn was a tough one, but Talley and Josh Clovis at least sort of answered the call. It wasn't always pretty, but both backs topped the 1000-yard mark.

Newcomer LBs Will Tyler (R) and Floyd Follete ended up with probably the best jobs done in that area. Both were very capable in pass coverage.

Outlook
It's been an amazing run to reach 10 bowl games in a row, and win 7 of them. We're coming off a 5-ring streak and our QB, winningest in league history, is returning. There are probably never going to be brighter days in Utah than 2022-2031, and it's taken an extraordinary amount of luck along the way, as we've faced off against some really good teams, and never had to deal with a game-changing injury in the playoffs.

I'm not sure if we'll be able to keep up our winning ways, and the competition is heating up in both our division and the rest of the AC...but we should at least be in the running as long as Boone doesn't hang 'em up. I'm just glad to have been able to tie Firefly's streak of bowls made in the vNFL House.

But, as they say, the page is turned. Onto next year

[sirem]

Looking forward to facing you this season.

[Guest]

Looking forward to facing you this season.

+1